Need some guidance- please see my before/after numbers and d
msliu7911
Posts: 638 Member
Started my fitness plan on 1/23 with a personal trainer in the mornings. This morning (44 days later), we took measurements and weight. I'm very bummed about the results.. I have about 25 lbs to lose (or 2-3 sizes) and am hoping to do so by July. I know I haven't been eating 100% great calories, however I didn't think I was doing all that bad either, besides a slip up here and there.
I'm determined to lose this weight by July! I would REALLY appreciate it if someone could take a look at the results below and my diary and tell me what you think and whether I need to make adjustments. Less food? More exercise? Higher Intensity workouts? Please... help!
1/23/2012 3/7/2012
Weight: 172.6 lbs 170.4 lbs
Body Composition: 29.9% 28.8%
BMI: 27.0 26.6
Waist: 31 in 31
Hips: 43.5 in 42.5
Arms (l/r): 11.5in /12in 11.5/12.5
Calf (l/r): 15/15.5 15/15
Chest: 37 36
Thigh: 23.5/24 23/24
ETA: This was formatted very nicely in the box, but when I post it, my colums are all messed up. Just know that first # is 1/23 and 2nd # is today's measurement.
I'm determined to lose this weight by July! I would REALLY appreciate it if someone could take a look at the results below and my diary and tell me what you think and whether I need to make adjustments. Less food? More exercise? Higher Intensity workouts? Please... help!
1/23/2012 3/7/2012
Weight: 172.6 lbs 170.4 lbs
Body Composition: 29.9% 28.8%
BMI: 27.0 26.6
Waist: 31 in 31
Hips: 43.5 in 42.5
Arms (l/r): 11.5in /12in 11.5/12.5
Calf (l/r): 15/15.5 15/15
Chest: 37 36
Thigh: 23.5/24 23/24
ETA: This was formatted very nicely in the box, but when I post it, my colums are all messed up. Just know that first # is 1/23 and 2nd # is today's measurement.
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Replies
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I don't know your workout routine but I hope your trainer has you doing weight training. Cardio is great but you need to keep your muscle mass up to burn more calories. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn. Cardio breaks muscles down so if you don't do anything to rebuild them it gets harder and harder to lose weight.0
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Your diary looks pretty good, congrats on that. My only suggestion would be to match up the amount of carbs and protein you are having each day. MFP puts protein requirements too low, so try to exceed what they say. Some days you are having double the carbs as you have to protein. I'm not saying go low carb but match them together as closely as you can. Feel free to look at mine if you like for ideas (although I do see I am going very high in protein this week but i'm also weight training too). Protein keeps me full a lot longer than carbs as well. Not sure if you are drinking water or not (don't see it in your diary) but get those 8 glasses in a day, it does really help. And above all else, don't give up, it's a very slow process but it does pay off.0
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ok so you've lost what looks to me to be about 3.5inches, 2.2lbs, it hasn't even been two months. what's wrong with that? If you only want to lose 25 lbs you probably don't have that much weight to lose in the first place, which means you are going to have to work even harder than someone who has a lot to lose.
I know you're working out with a trainer - is that ever morning? are you strength training at least 2-3 days a week? Are you having a recovery shake/snack after work outs? are you drinking plenty of water (your diary shows none)
SW 303.4 (1/1/11)
CW 198.4 (down 105lbs)
GW 1600 -
Hello!
I've been in a similar situation as yourself. It's important to watch what you eat, and not just count the calories. If you're going to have a 300 calorie mini-meal, it's better to pick a salad with some grilled chicken rather than that bagel and peanut butter or cream cheese (even though they're both 300 calories). Plus, the protein in the chicken will keep you full for longer. Also, amp up the exercise! Go for 90 minutes of cardio/day and keep your heart rate up. Don't forget weight training! muscle burns fat :-)
Good Luck and be patient :-)0 -
Looking through your diary, you seem to be under your calorie goal a lot, sometimes by several hundred calories. As I understand it, that can often stall weight loss efforts. However, I don't pretend to be an expert.0
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I wouldn't be upset at the weight, IF the body measurements were heading in the right direction. But they aren't.
Your food diary looks fine and the exercise seems to stack up (apart from some of the calisthenics work outs look at little too high calories wise to me but that in itself is not enough to throw things off).
But the basic rule applies that if over time (and you've given it enough time) you're not seeing the results you want you need to.
Reduce cals in, Increase cals out, or both.
You can go through your diary with a fine tooth comb and try to find where the extra cals may have sneaked in (likely culprits are not logging sauces, drinks, etc or systematically under logging because you are "guestimating" foods), you cna look hard at your exercise levels (are you getting calories expended from the machines read out?) or you can shrug your shoulders and continue logging as you do currently but aim to have more spare at the end of the day.
Best wishes0 -
With 25 Pounds to lose, weights are your best friend! Cardio will get rid of the fat but you should incorporate weights as well. And not 5 pound weights. REAL weights! If you want to lose inches, lift. You don't have much to lose, so weights will give you the fastest results on the inch loss. Cardio is great! Don't give that up! But start lifting at least 3 days a week! Make that trainer work for their money0
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All- I don't log my water because I drink tons of it every day. (I refill my 20oz water bottle at least 6 times throughout the day most days).
mary- no i work out with him 2 mornings a week doing strength and then I exercise at least 2-3 extra days besides that. I do usually have breakfast after my workout. At night when i workout I'll have a light snack (pb on toast).
glbragg- Yes, that is the only thing I had him working on me with since I'm pretty set with what kind of cardio to do. It was up to me to make up my cardio, he didn't really provide any guidace.. which I guess I should have asked.
lambertj- right now I have carbs set at 120 and protein set at 90, I think I'll try to bring the carbs down like you mentioned and up the protein to even them out a bit.0 -
This is good info everyone. I will try to up my gym outings ot at least 90 minutes every time, plus getting weights in there. I know it is going to be hard to lose this 25, however I'm hoping it is attainable given that I only have 3 1/2 months.0
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I can't really add anything to what has already been said but I really think that changing up your Cardio workouts may help! Don't just run, do other things, Row, cross train ,bike all of these will help your general fitness!! Lifting is still important as well!!
With reagards to your food you are netting far to low! Increase food and excersise and you should feel better and start losing! You need to be aware that with the lifting you may not see the scale move much but those inches need to be coming off!!0 -
Here are a few ideas:
Unless your trainer is determining your calorie need, you might want to try "eating back your exercise calories" for a few weeks. You're burning off 300-400 calories on your workout days, so you might want to try eating more to compensate for that. Remember, MFP's calculations are already at a deficit before exercise, so exercising increases your deficit and may be putting your body into the range of "I'm going to hold on to what I have, because I'm not getting enough fuel from food" (or, in short, "conservation mode"). Check out the stickies on this forum section for more information, specifically the "700 calories and not losing" and "why you should eat your exercise calories" articles.
Do you have a heart rate monitor? If not, it's probably worth investing in one. It will provide you with a more accurate reading for calories burned (assuming it's calibrated correctly) than just about anything else, at least for your cardio.
Do you measure your food, or eyeball it? If you're eyeballing it, you might want to start/restart measuring it, to make sure you're getting the correct portions.
Try adjusting the macronutrients in your diet. Right now, you're really carb-heavy, and a lot of it appears to be from grains and rice. Try cutting down on the wheat/grain carbs and increase your protein intake and see if that helps. The increased protein will also help your muscles repair, especially after your strength training workouts. If you have a family history of Celiac or gluten intolerance, you might want to try cutting wheat based products out completely for a while and see how it affects you.
What does your strength training consist of? Are you doing things that are actually challenging? If you're using weights, you should be lifting so that about 3 sets of 12-15 reps are challenging, and you may even approach "failure" on the last couple of reps on sets two and three. If you're doing bodyweight stuff, you should be doing forms that have the same effect - near failure at the end. If you can bang out 100 pushups in a set, or all of your weightlifting sets without much of an issue, then you need to make it more challenging. You're a woman, you don't have the testosterone to get bulky, so don't be afraid to do some real lifting. Your muscles *should* be sore in the following days.
Have you talked with a doctor? It's possible you could have a medical issue that is interfering with your weight loss, especially if you have a family history of things like hypothyroidism, Diabetes, or PCOS. Get some bloodwork and a physical done to rule out medical issues, especially if you're doing everything else "right." (ETA - Since you only have 25 lbs to lose, this is the least likely scenario. However, if you've done all of the above, it may not hurt to check anyway.)0 -
Good for you on working hard!
It seems to be generally accepted that your diet will have a much greater effect on your weight loss than your exercise (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13821677/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/weighing-diet-vs-exercise-losing-pounds/#.T1d1NTHCkR8) but for me the combination is highly effective. So focusing on your diet may help.
Looking at your food log shows you have a lot high glycemic foods even though at least some of them are generally healthy (e.g. bananas). A good book on weight loss and the glycemic index is call "Sugar Busters" by Steward, Behea, Andrews, and Balart (ISBN 0-345-42558-8). The book by the 4 internal medicine practitioners argues that high glycemic foods which cause a blood sugar spike, which in turn causes the body to release insulin which in turn blocks the release of other enzymes which help the body break down fat. The South Beach Diet which makes a lot of sense to me also recognized and employs the glycemic index. South Beach also argues that our American diets are so dependent upon sugar that the first phase (2 weeks) is geared to break the sugar addiction cycle. So learning about the glycemic index will be useful.
A diet I have had good success with but which I do NOT recommend is the Dukan Diet. I use it with South Beach as sort of an overlay. Dukan eliminates all FAT (even almonds and olive oil) and focuses on protein. In their attack phase, its protein only for a short period (few days to 2 weeks depending) then they alternate between protein days and protein + limited veggie. Dukan cuts out many healthy grains and beans (garbanzo, lentil, kidney etc) but permits anything leafy, green beans, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.
So for me, I cut out bread and nuts. I use olive oil sparingly. Focus on protein and the permitted Dukan vegetables but I rarely will permit myself something bean based. I try to focus on lean meats (turkey, chicken, lean cuts of red meat).
The MFP took is great but I dont believe strict calorie counting tells the story. If you cut down on fat, starch/sugar, and try to bump protein and dietary fiber I think you will bet better results. Pick up South Beach from the library or book store and do the first phase. You will be happy.
I am not a nutritionist but this has been the fruits of my struggle. I used to fluctuate from about 210 to 220. I've dropped to 190 and hope to use MFP to drop another 15, but I sure dont have all the answers.
Good luck.0 -
njpatentdad- thanks for that good info. I do agree that something is amiss in my diet. I have ony heard of glycemic index but never really knew much about it. You pinpointed the banana weakness of mine.. right now they are my favorite thing. I probably need to cut back if not completely eliminate them though. I was considering trying the 17 day diet cycle 1.. to see how that goes. From what I can tell it is very similar to South Beach. Best of luck with your goals and I will definitely look into all of your great suggestions.
dragonwolf- you made a good point with the "eyeballing". I'm good about counting serving size when it comes to numbers (i.e. 32 almonds, 1/2 cup of rice), but when it comes to ounces, I think I need a scale for in the kitchen. You also make a good point about my carbs, I didn't think I was doing too bad however that is only compared to what I was before.. which is what made me gain 20 lbs. At least I'm making small improvements, but if I want BIG improvements I need to step it up and make big changes with upping protein and lowering carbs. Also, I've been to the doctor and everything is good, no thyroid issues etc.0 -
I think I would start off asking my trainer "WTF". It is his/her job to get those #'s down..........0
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I think I would start off asking my trainer "WTF". It is his/her job to get those #'s down..........
I agree! I've finished my 10 session package with him and don't plan to continue with him.
He said "you don't seem very enthusiastic, those are great numbers... you can't expect it go go away overnight. You gotta be careful now though, don't slip up because that 2 lbs can come back quicker than you lost it." Well no s*** sherlock, I can "gain" 2 lbs overnight by filling up on water and vegetables! 45 days and only 2 lbs... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr0 -
When I am at my best nutritionally and weight-loss-wise, I try not to eat more than 2 grams of carb for every 1 gram of protein, and I eat protein every time I eat. I pay no attention to glycemic index stuff since I personally haven't found it helpful - it's far more helpful (and easier) to match the carbs with protein. For instance, bananas are a food I love and they help prevent muscle cramps far better than supplements for me. So I eat them, I just get small bananas and pair it with peanut butter or I have half a large banana with my eggs at breakfast or whatever.
It's also not going to help you to eat less than your goal calories. I have an eating disorder and really struggle with eating enough, but I can tell you that anytime I get into a funk where I'm eating 400-1000 cal/day I stop losing weight. When I get my calories back up to 1200-1400, i start dropping again. So, eat more. And eat more protein :-) And don't look to your trainer for nutritional advice. Some of them know what they're talking about, but a lot of them don't. I've been working with a Master's-level dietitian and it's been remarkably helpful.0 -
emrys- only on the days that exercise do I go under (well, usually). I like your outlook on no more than 2 g of carb for every gram of protein. That will definintely give me a great base for upping my protein and lowering my carbs as others have suggested.0
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